He was bred in
England by Henry Lowther (1694-1751), 3rd Viscount Lonsdale, from purely Oriental ancestors. His
pedigree was unconfirmed until 1929 when the then Lord Lonsdale
verified
that his family papers in keeping at Lowther Castle recorded Monkey's
sale to America, probably in 1737. He raced only twice before entering
the stud.

Fairfax Harrison
describes Monkey's impact on early American bloodstock: "It was
thus the fate of Monkey to perform chiefly the humble office of breeding
up a native stock. The interest in him today is two fold, that he
performed that function well, imparting something magical to his filly
foals which made of them the foundation stock for the successful quarter
racers which it was the privilege of Janus ultimately to galvanize: and
that he is the only horse imported into America before the Revolution of
which a contemporary portrait has come to light."

Probably imported by
Colonel Nathaniel Harrison of Brandon, in Prince George County,
Virginia, Monkey stood there for about a decade before moving on to
North Carolina. He is said to
have sired more than 300 foals in the two states. One of Monkey's
unnamed daughters became the taproot mare of
American Family
A31, and
another, the daughter of the Harrison of Brandon Mare contributed to
American Family A10. He is a popular cross in old Virginia pedigrees.

Monkey died in North Carolina in 1754 at the age of twenty-nine.

Pedigree

Monkey

Lonsdale
Bay Arabian

Curwen
Barb
Mare

Curwen's
Bay Barb

Byerley
Turk Mare

Byerley
Turk

Arabian
Mare

Race Record

In 1730 he won a 100gs each sweepstakes at Newmarket
in April, defeating the Duke of Bolton's
Fearnought
(br c 1725 Bay Bolton),
the Duke of Devonshire's [Old] Polly (ch f 1725
Childers), Sir
Michael Newton's Grasshopper and the Duke of
Somerset's Greylegs (gr c 1725 Wyndham), "all being in high form".